Myofunctional Therapy Exercises For Use With The DNA Appliance

Myofunctional therapy is a series of exercises intended to strengthen the muscles of the tongue, mouth and upper throat and help maintain the airway during sleep, improving obstructive sleep apnea. At the end of this talk, Dr Singh answers a question about myofunctional therapy by saying that it should be part of the DNA appliance treatment protocol. A literature review found that myofunctional therapy can reduce AHI by 50% in adults with moderate sleep apnea and could serve as an adjunct to other obstructive sleep apnea treatment.

I do the exercises in the following video by Dr Audrey Yoon twice a day to help with my mRNA appliance:

Here is a summary, inspired by Eric Ngugen:

Breathing

Breathe in nose and hold 10 sec, out through mouth, 10x

Nostril Breathing

Breathe in through 1 nostril, out other 5 x each nostril

Tongue Spot

Put front of tongue on the spot with back of tongue on the roof of the mouth for 30 sec and swallow, close teeth

Tongue Pop

Put tongue on the spot with suction and pop, 1 sec btw, 10x

Tongue Push

Hold tongue up at spot for 5 sec tall, then open/close 10x

Tongue Aerobics

Top, bottom, left right 10 secs each, 10x

Tongue Taco

Push tongue forward while curled like a taco, hold 10 sec, 10x

Tongue Against Spoon

Tongue btw lips, not teeth, put spoon on tip of tongue, keep tip straight hold 10 sec

Spoon Hold

Hold spoon btw lips, hold 10 secs. add weight later

Button Hold

String and button, pull, hold 10 secs, 10x

Puff

Puff air in each side, top bot left right, 5 secs, 10 x

Monkey

Tongue over upper teeth, under lip, hold 10 sec

Tongue against bottom lips, hold 10 sec 10x